The Remnant and its Mission

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17)

Preview

The remnant theme exists throughout the Bible. Noah’s family formed the first remnant in Scripture.

Here, remnant denotes those who are left. Genesis 7:23 says... Why did God destroy all the wicked and yet save this remnant? Genesis 6:8 says... The reason? He did according “to all that God commanded him (Genesis 6:22).

Obviously, the remnant are saved by God’s grace and remain obedient to Him.

In Abraham, we find another characteristic of the remnant. (Genesis 17:1)

Joseph testified that God is the One who preserves the remnant, when he said to his brothers... (Genesis 45:7)

God gave through Isaiah many warnings of judgment and doom but also hope. (Isaiah 10:21)

Jesus taught the remnant theme in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), the sower (Mark 4:1-20), the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-43), and the marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14).

Paul emphasized that... (Romans 11:5).

Revelation gives the clearest picture of God’s last-day remnant.

Points to ponder

1. How is the devil’s hatred of the faithful remnant graphically symbolized in John’s vision of Revelation 12?

The pure woman is Christ’s church. Satan, the great red dragon, is waiting to devour the church. Verse 17 says that the devil particularly hates this last-day remnant church. Why? The last phrase gives the clue. The remnant of God’s true believers have chosen to follow the same truths Jesus and the apostles taught. And Satan is violently angry.

2. How did Paul describe the falling way from truth?

Paul predicted there would be “falling away” from God’s truth and that the “man of sin” would rise to oppose and exalt himself above God. This deceiver would exalt himself and declare... (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

3. The ugly history of this mixture of truth and error, lasting for 1260 years during the Dark Ages, is graphically depicted in Revelation 12.

Compare the following biblical position with teachings of the Catholic Church. Do some independent research.

Nuts & Bolts

(This is a Questions and Statements section condensing the SDA Believe chapter The Church. Make sure you read the chapter first.)

1. Name at least two factors that led to the Reformation.

2. Name two prominent reformers.

3. What three basic biblical truths did the Reformation establish?

4. Explain why the flame of the Reformation died out and the Protestant churches became cold, formal, and in need of reform.

5. The remnant have the faith of Jesus. List three characteristics that show they reflect that faith.

6. In addition to having the faith of Jesus, what other characteristic does the remnant have? (Revelation 14:12)

7. The remnant are guided by the testimony of Jesus, which is the... (Revelation 19:10).

8. At the end of the 1260-year prophecy many Christians all over the world recognized a time had come... (Daniel 12:4) and began to

prepare for Christ’s soon return.

9. Revelation 14:6-12 clearly outlines the mission of the remnant as the preaching of the three angels’ message.

10. The First Angel’s Message is to preach the... to all on the earth (Revelation 14:6).

11. This message calls the world to fear God and give Him glory in words and actions. It also warns that the... is come.

12. The message is also a call to worship the Creator on the day that is a memorial to creation, the... (Exodus 20:11).

13. The Second Angel’s Message warns against all systems of false worship.

Revelation 14:8 states... Spiritual Babylon, the enemy of God’s people, refers to all apostate religious organizations. Babylon has fallen because she has...

a. What does the wine of Babylon represent?

b. What is symbolized by fornication?

14. Because many of God’s people are still in Babylon’s false churches, God is giving a special call in

Revelation 18:4

15. The Third Angel’s Message warns against worshiping the beast and his image (Revelation 14:9-12).

Who is the beast? Read Revelation 13:1-10. This is a church-state union that ruled the Christian world for centuries. Paul describes it as the... (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Daniel called it... (Daniel 7:8) that thought to change... (Daniel 7:25). The image of the beast represents a union between church and state to enforce their teachings on others.

Words to Remember

• Man of Sin: The beast power—the papal system or Catholic Church.

• Arianism: The teaching that Christ the Son was not of the same nature as God the Father.

• Purgatory: The Catholic belief that souls who have sinned go to a temporary place of punishment and suffering until they are cleansed for mortal sins forgiven on earth.

• Time of the End: Time that begins after the 1260-year prophecy, around A.D. 1798 (Revelation 12:4; Daniel 12:4).

• Great Apostasy: Departure form God’s truth. Forsaking God’s way in preference for human ways.

• Mark of the Beast: The mark of the beast represents a symbol of loyalty to Satan in his opposition to God’s law. This opposition is to be seen primarily in keeping Sunday as the Sabbath instead of the seventh day. However, Sunday observance becomes the “mark of the beast” only when civil laws enforce it, as is predicted in Revelation 13:15, 17. Only when government laws issue a death decree and enforce a law that no one can buy or sell unless the person submits to the decrees of the “beast power,” do we have the “mark” of the beast.

The Difference Between

• Paganism and Christianity: Paganism is the worship of many gods. Christianity is the worship of only one God—the Creator of the universe.

• The Reformation and the Counter-reformation:

  • • The Reformation began when conscientious persons cried out for reforms within the established Catholic Church, such as: following the Bible and the Bible only instead of tradition, salvation by faith alone, abolition of indulgences, denial of papal infallibility, etc. When the Catholic Church failed to respond and instead began persecuting those who called for reforms, the Protestant Church was born.

    • Counter-reformation is the Catholic reaction to Protestant reformation. It expressed itself mainly in the form of the Jesuit Movement.

I Truly Believe

If you truly believe the concepts of each statement below, place a check in the box.

My Prayer

Dear Father,

We thank You for Your grace to the faithful remnant throughout salvation’s history. We ask for Your grace to keep us close to You until Jesus comes. Enable us to keep all of Your commandments and to have the faith of Jesus. Give us the power to spread the message of the three angels.

Amen.